is even worse. [ applause ] >> yes, the biggest driver of our long term debt is the rising cost of healthcare for an aging population, and those of us that care deeply about programs like medicare must embrace modest reforms, otherwise our retirement programs will crowd out investments that we need for our children and jeopardize a secure retirement for future generations. we can't have senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the most wealthiest and most powerful. [ applause ] >> we won't grow the middle-class by shifting the cost of health care or college onto families that are already struggling or forcing xluints to lay off more teachers and more firefighters. most americans, democrats, republicans and independents, understand that we can't just cut our way to prosperity. they know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction. with spending cuts and revenue. with everybody doing their fair share. that is the approach i will offer tonight. a medicare i'm prepared to enact ref